Guest Post: On Writing LGBTQ Romance, M.D. Stewart

Today our guest is M.D. Stewart. She talks about what it was like when she started writing LGBTQ romance and has some great advice for those that want to try that.

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On Writing LGBTQ Romance

By M.D. Steart

Hello there! My name is M.D. Stewart, and I’d like to tell you a little about myself. I’ve been writing for just over two years now and have sixteen eBooks out. My stories are science fiction romance and paranormal romance. I also write a wide range of love interests. I’ve explored the traditional MF couples, MFM pairings (where the men have no interest in one another,) and LGBTQ characters. I have MM, MMF (all parties fully participate in sex), and one MMM love story.

In  Mine, Psy-Bond Book One (my first series,) the couple was a traditional MF pairing. I was surprised when the main character’s brother and his best friend mentioned having a sexual history together! I was stumped at how to even write a sex scene between two men. So I did what anyone would do, I messaged one of my gay friends and asked for his advice. In that direct message, I was so embarrassed, but he was happy to help me.

I would write a scene and then send it to him, and he’d give me pointers here and there. At the time, I hadn’t read any MM romance books, nor had I heard of Cocky Boys (a MM porn site). I felt like I was way out of my element, but my friend told me to stop thinking so hard and just let the story flow. He was right! But there was only one scene in that book where the men were alone, and since then I’ve graduated to books where the only main characters are men.

I started finding books with MM love stories. My first series was Lavendar Shores Series by Rosalind Able. From there I moved on to Lucy Lennox, then KM Neuhold and Nora Phoenix. I just seem to read all LGBTQ romances, from MM, FF, and even some trans characters (thanks to Ed Davies and EM Lindsey.) The main thing I learned is to treat the LGBTQ characters with the same respect as I would straight couples and not bring stereotypes into my story.

I’ve found a large support group on Facebook with other LGBTQ authors. We can talk about the backlash we sometimes get from readers who aren’t “into” gay romance. And that’s fine. Not everyone likes the same things, and thank goodness, right? I write what I want to read; love no matter the sex/sexual orientation of the characters. To me, romance is the essential element.  

 Escapism is part of why we pick up a book in the first place. Not that our lives are terrible, but who doesn’t love to immerse themselves in a story with a guaranteed happy ending? I feel that no matter who loves whom in my stories, the romance is the vital thing. The challenge is having compelling characters involved in storylines that keep the reader engaged. 

In Ours, Psy-bond Book Two, I explored the on-again/off-again relationship between Derek and Max. They had met a decade prior and were brought together again to save Max’s brother. Derek is a street-smart guy who could fight mean and dirty if needed. Max is a high-ranking Air Force officer who was in charge of a top-secret project involving aliens on Earth. Together, they learn they are drawn to Sahara, an alien female. Derek is caught off-guard since he’s always known he’s gay. It’s sort of a reverse “gay for you” story. He finds out he’s “bisexual for you,” and we watch him have all kinds of firsts with Max and Sahara.

In my latest book, Born a Demon, I’ve flipped that. Conner always thought he was straight until he meets Rager. But this is the fun part of writing, creating characters who grow and develop. I love to see my main characters change and learn. Conner doesn’t fight his attraction, and in fact, throws himself into a new experience. He does push back against labels put on him and his new lover. Rager was born in another dimension, and his species name, Demon, labels him evil. Conner falls in love with and has sex with a male, so he’s deemed bisexual. All Conner knows is that he’s in love with a sweet, caring, intelligent person, so his species and his genitals mean nothing. I find that amazing! 

 

Writing LGBTQ characters is the same as straight characters. They are people, period. Straight or gay, all humans have the same feelings, same goals, same needs. Yeah, describing body parts during sex scenes can be difficult. With two (or more) people involved in a scene, it can get confusing if poorly written. Especially if it’s a MM sex scene (I’ve not written FF books). There are only so many words you can use for male body parts. I also have to be careful with the overuse of pronouns.

For example, in this poorly written sentence – He reached behind him and tugged him closer. Okay, so which “he” reached behind whom? When in the middle of a love scene between male and female, “he” and “she” make it clear who is doing what. But with same-sex love scenes, that’s more confusing than helpful. If the reader is trying to figure out whose body part belongs to what character the story loses its flow. That’s been my biggest challenge as an author, being creative but precise in my writing.  My editors will be the first to agree with me on that!

I’m still learning. One tool is reading good books by wonderful authors and emulate their style. I don’t copy their stories or storylines, but I try to see why their words work. I also have a few of their books on audio. In my head, I’ll read the passage I’ve written and try to determine if it would sound good. If I stumble on the words, I try to think of a different way of expressing my thoughts. I still get “red lines” from my editors, but I think it works overall.

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I’d like to invite you to stop by my website, www.mdstewartauthor.com,  and read about me and see all of my books. On my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MDStewartAuthor, you can keep up with my works in progress, find out what I’m doing on my blog, and even sign up for monthly birthday swag bag contests! I have other social media that you can stalk as well.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gooseandmindi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdstewart8

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07GBFKNDP